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HM Sultan Brunei: Implement Education Policies

His Majesty says education policies need to be implemented, not just stated on paper
Posted date: September 24, 2015
| Azlan Othman |

EDUCATION policies with a holistic approach where Islamic religious education becomes one of the core subjects in the national education system and in the implementation of the Compulsory Religious Education Order 2012 must not be just stated on paper but should truly be implemented.

This was stated by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in his titah at the 25th Teacher’s Day celebration yesterday at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

His Majesty further remarked that our aspiration is to produce a religiously-inclined and progressive generation. For this purpose and without doubt, visionary teachers with effective leadership criteria are needed. In this context, His Majesty welcomes the continuous initiative made by the Ministry of Education in strengthening the quality of leadership at schools.

Also present were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; His Royal Highness Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade; His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Malik and His Royal Highness Prince ‘Abdul Wakeel.Touching on this year’s Teachers’ Day celebration theme which reads, ‘Teacher as Catalyst for Visionary Individuals’, the monarch said it is in line with the vision of his late father, Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam who had made education transformations as an opportunity for all levels of the community to grab.

“My late father emphasises education holistically, whereby Islamic religious education is prioritised. The far-sighted vision of my late father brings about glory in the Islamic teachings and gives impact to the country’s prosperity,” the monarch said.

The ruler also said that the development through teacher’s training is needed as the quality of a teacher is not only judged by the ability to teach with pedagogy but also related to spiritual factor as teachers are the role model for the students.

Hence the effectiveness of education or teacher’s training should be reviewed and assessed frequently.

“In this regard, I welcome steps taken by the Ministry of Education to assess the competency of teachers through the Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) established based on the Brunei Teacher’s Standard (BTS) which was launched last year.

“With this initiative, teachers would further know the level of their capability in producing effective teaching and learning. In this context, I urge for teacher development could be carried out from the moment of recruiting them.”

In this regard, the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education at Universiti Brunei Darussalam and the Religious Teachers University College of Seri Begawan should ensure that their programmes are of high quality.

In conclusion, His Majesty would like to wish all teachers in the country a Happy Teachers’ Day and pray that all their sacrifices, hard work and contributions would receive rewards from Allah the Almighty.

“And to the recipients of Teachers’ Day award this year, I would like to congratulate them and hope that it would inspire and motivate the present teachers,” the monarch added.

Meanwhile the Minister of Education, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong said both the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Religious Affairs strive to enhance the quality of teachers in line with the development and educational evolution.

Last year, the Ministry of Education introduced Brunei Teachers’ Standard (BTS) which is a framework of teacher’s effectiveness which focuses on upgrading the quality of teaching and the outcome of students learning.

And in accordance to the monarch’s titah to mark the 69th birthday this year that emphasised on the need for civil service to embrace performance culture in public service, the Ministry of Education has established an instrument called Teacher Performance Appraisal (TPA) to assess the capacity and achievement of teachers. It will be used next year.

Pehin Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar also revealed that the ministry is also framing out the School Leadership Standard to determine the competency level of school leaders and to guide school leaders towards excellent leadership.

His Majesty also conferred Teachers’ Day awards to seven recipients including one recipient of Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Education Award, two received meritorious awards while another four received Excellent Teacher Awards. The monarch also viewed an exhibition and received greetings from the teachers.

DESPITE first making its appearance in the Sultanate during the 1940s, Kuih Mor continues to be a household favourite today as a tea time snack or festive treat particularly during Hari Raya Aidil Fitri.

Siti Norhafizah Hj Bagol, a final year student at Universiti Brunei Darussalam who researched on Kuih Mor as part of her Brunei Traditional Industry module, said the three-ingredient sweet treat may have existed in Brunei as early as the 1940s when padi was known to have been grown to make different food items.

Over time, the cookie has also become a popular door-gift choice often handed out at Malay weddings or gatherings, said Siti Norhafizah.

Made with flour, oil and granulated sugar which have been ground into a powder, the bite-sized biscuits have a crumbly texture and are coated with powdered sugar.

The age-old technique of making Kuih Mor by hand has however changed over the course of time, with many now opt…